


The four times you could have kissed Hotch on New Years (And the one time you did)

by Clara_Watson



Series: Holiday Specials (Criminal Minds) [3]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, New Years, New Years kiss, completely self indulgent fun, this is all self indulgent and i had fun i'm sorry, what do you expect of me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28450083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clara_Watson/pseuds/Clara_Watson
Summary: it's just like the title says.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Reader
Series: Holiday Specials (Criminal Minds) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994764
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	1. 1991/1992

“It’s not like anything bad is going to happen, Aaron!” Haley yells down at Aaron as the two of you climb up the water tanks to get a better view of the fireworks. 

Sure, the ladders are rusted and even the maintenance guy doesn’t go up them anymore, and the tanks themselves are riddled with bullet holes. They’re perfect for target practice, not that you would know of course. Just… rumour.

“I’m not coming up!” Aaron yells after the two of you as you swing yourself up onto the platform and haul Haley up after you.

“Suit yourself!” Haley yells and throws her scarf down to him. 

It’s far colder up on the tanks than on the ground, and that’s saying something. Haley shoves her hands in your pockets as you grip onto the railings so neither of you fall. Haley’s got the countdown timed to the watch Aaron bought her for Christmas. She holds it obnoxiously up to your face and grins as the ladder starts shaking as Aaron climbs to join the two of you.

“If he gets here before midnight it’s fair game,” she grins.

“Gross,” you respond, but it’s close enough to a promise. She knows it is.

“F’Lix brought fireworks,” Aaron calls up. Then you and Haley listen to him flailing for the ladder rings.

“You really think you’re doing to join the FBI if you can’t climb a ladder?” you call down to him.

“Good thing I’m becoming a lawyer,” he snarks. 

“Oo, ooo, oo,” Haley says suddenly and she’s leaning over the railings to see Felix and his old beat up car. You’re sure the railing will give way, so you grab Haley by her belt. “Six seconds to get up here or I kiss your fiancée!” Haley practically screams and Felix flips her off.

“Have at it, Brooks,” he yells back.

“Haley,” Aaron groans but he’s too late.

Literally a second faster and he would have gotten a mouthful of either of you. However, he’s not, and you end up kissing Haley while all the fireworks go off. Maybe the fireworks were pretty.

You were too busy with Haley.

“Want some, Hotchner?” you smirk and Aaron splays his hands.

“Magic’s gone, but thanks for the offer.”

And that's how you start 1992.


	2. 2002/2003

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok ok look i've taken some liberties because we're not given EXACT dates but we can pretend (this is all creative liberties)

There’s only so far alias’s will go, and the man who’s just walked into the bar is going to blow it. Aaron fucking Hotchner. Whatever the fuck he’s doing here, he needs to be gone. But it’s New Years Eve and the place is flooded with people and maybe he won’t notice you with your new haircut and the fact that you’re both miles away from home.

His chocolate brown eyes meet yours, he frowns slightly. He might have recognised you. Shit. Not now, not here, he shouldn’t be here. He should be at home. Or with Haley. He can’t go blowing this up. Or he could, he could go talking sense into you and asking you to come home and—

“Earth to Catherine Meltrose,” the guy—Elliot—working the bar with you chirps, clicking his fingers in front of your face. “What’d you do? See a ghost? No ghosts, not on New Year’s Eve we’re too busy for ghosts.”

“Right,” you choke, dropping the glass you’re holding so you can drop to your hands and knees and pick it up, dropping out of Aaron’s eyesight. “Do you want me to check the drinks out the back?”

“Nope,” Elliot says but he must see something in your eye because he sighs and rubs at his almost bald head. “You know what, we’re low on cherries, go get me some.”

There are no cherries out the back. The only cherry out the back is a massive fucking gun that holds more rounds that you care to count. You glare at him, but at least he’s let you out the back. You crawl out on your hands and knees, desperately looking for something that will hide your identity from Aaron. The one man who would use his morals to drag you back to civilisation.

“You hiding from someone?” a woman asks.

You can place her voice immediately, she’s always coming in here or there for guns or something on that asshole Doyle’s request. She’s followed you half way across the world at this point. Or you’ve followed her. You just go where the guy who made your fake ID tells you to go. Fill out the forms he gives you. Anything to keep you and Saskia safe.

“Yeah,” you tell her because the best lies start in truths. “My asshole ex turned up, wants me to come home, New Year’s resolutions and all that shit.” 

“Ugh,” she says. “I was just getting some stuff.” She rattles a cigarette box. It’s full of bullets.

“Doyle’s shipment didn’t come in?” you frown. His shipments always come in.

“A little party before we head out.” She gives you a lopsided smile that’s just that little bit unconvincing. “Do you want a little party before you head out? Cause that ex is headed right this way.” 

The countdown starts.

You’re counting the footsteps it takes for Aaron to get here.

Ten.

Please don’t yell, you’re thinking.

Nine.

Please don’t say my name.

Eight.

Please don’t call out for me.

Seven.

Please don’t say Saskia’s name.

Six.

Please don’t mention my daughter.

Five.

She doesn’t know I have a daughter.

Four.

No one knows about my daughter.

Three.

God, we should have made a signal that said don’t talk to me.

Two.

The woman grabs your wrist.

One.

She’s crushed you into a kiss that’s totally made you lose your sight of Aaron. She’s grabbed your waist and she’s dragging you towards the back door, out onto the street, ‘Happy New Year’ a lost call in the bar as the door shuts.

“I can hold him off for, what, half a minute? Send him in the wrong direction,” she says.

“Thanks…” you say, leaving the space open for her to fill in her name.

“Lauren,” she smiles. “That was a nice kiss…”

“Catherine,” you fill in for her.

And that’s the last time you ever saw Lauren, in her soft white jumper and her pretty little fringe and that golden necklace that means she belongs to one and only one. Doyle. And you’re kind of buzzing.

Because no one gets to go near property of Doyle.

And you definitely got more than close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~little hints into more quiet birds au stuff? maybe maybe~


	3. 2007/2008

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~New Years Eve at Penelope Garcia's house~~

It’s your first New Years party in years. You dug a cute little dress out the back of your (new) closet, so it’s more like you dug it out of a moving box. Prentiss wolf whistles when you come in, twirling herself showing off your matching dresses. You couldn’t have planned that if you tried.

Aaron smiles at you, grabbing a champagne flute and weaving his way through the team to hand it to you. You’re surprised to find it’s full of pink lemonade instead of champagne.

“We had champagne,” Morgan smirks, and he’s definitely at least tipsy. “But Baby Girl here thought she could open the bottle with a knife and we really couldn’t save it.” He wraps an arm around Garcia’s shoulders and squeezes her.

“It’s a shame you missed it,” Spencer says, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Morgan licked it up off the floor.”

“Gross,” you say, but you laugh anyway. The image of Morgan slurping up champagne off Garcia’s floors is quite the amusement. You’re sad you missed it.

“I’ve mopped!” Garcia says defensively. 

You’re sure she has.

“This is a really nice place, Pen,” you smile and she starts telling you about all the stuff she has and how excited she is to have people over and a party—and she’s definitely closer to drunk than tipsy.

JJ’s trying to get Emily to spin again, spinning on her toes over and over again until you think she might make herself sick. You bite your lip. Tonight is not the night to pull out your mom voice and make sure JJ slows down her drinking and drinks water before someone’s carrying her home.

“I can get you a beer if you want,” Morgan offers. 

“WINE, Derek! Classy!” Garcia yells and then she’s off to find wine as Morgan hands you a beer.

“Both,” he says with a shrug.

“Both is good,” you smile. “Thanks.” 

When the count down starts you’re all huddled around Garcia’s TV, far too drunk to care that the signal is shit. You’re pretty sure that somehow everyone’s touching everyone, and that explains why Dave decided that anywhere else but here was good for New Years.

Aaron has this look in his eye that you’re all too familiar with every New Years Eve, and there’s some sort of effort between the two of you to get closer to each other but when the ball drops, your face is grabbed by the ring adorned hands of one Miss Penelope Garcia.

She’s wearing cherry flavoured lip gloss and you’re not all that surprised. When she pulls back she’s got a glint in her eyes.

“Is that sprite lip gloss?” she accuses you.

“Uh huh, stole it from my daughter’s lip gloss box,” you say proudly.

Garcia grins so brightly, then the room’s filled with screaming ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR’ and Aaron grins at you, wrapping you up into a hug and rocking you from side to side.

“Happy new year,” he grins into your ear.

“Happy new year,” you return. 

And there’s not one kiss exchanged between the two of you that whole night.


	4. 2010/2011

“Drinks, drinks, drinks, drinks,” JJ’s yelling as she runs around Rossi’s lounge, clutching a wine glass in each hands. You’re sure it’s become a staple of your New Years Eves. You’re pretty sure she’s just excited to see the team again. 

Spencer’s watching her like drunk JJ is the most fascinating person in the world. Dave and Morgan are racing each other to finish their drinks and you’ll be surprised if neither of them have alcohol poisoning at the end of the night.

Emily bounds over to you and Aaron, grabbing both your hands and dragging you to some old record that Dave has playing and practically manipulates Aaron into dancing. There’s not much manipulation needed when Emily presses a drink into your hand and bumps your hip, silently telling you to sway with her.

Aaron looks like he might kill both of you. It would totally be worth it.

“Ahhhhhhh, dancing!” Morgan yells and it’s definitely a drunk yell as he grabs your waist and hand, spinning you around before doing the same to Hotch. It all feels too right, too happy, and a part of it feels wrong after the last couple of years.

But it’s all fine, really, you think this is what it feels like for life to return to normal. Aaron grabs your hand before the countdown finishes, tugging you towards him, but he’s too slow. Derek Morgan’s somehow gotten between the two of you and says “happy fucking new year” before kissing you. 

Honestly, you’re a little gobsmacked, and you have to laugh when both Emily and Penelope say “right? He’s an incredible kisser!” and Aaron smirks at you while trying to wipe the red lipstick off his face from Garcia.


	5. 2014/2015

The fact that you’re both in your pj’s by ten makes you old people. Jack and Saskia are watching the count down on Saskia’s laptop, headphones in one of those funny looking adapters that Saskia saved up for so they can both listen without waking their little sister. They’ve been planning this for months. Of course they have, New Years fireworks are Jack’s favourite time of year as long as he’s watching it under the covers with Saskia telling him impatiently to move over. 

This year they’ve got more of a plan than usual, facetiming in both Ellie and Meg so they can watch with them. Derek’s upstaged all of you, though, because he’s taken Ellie to New York and Saskia is fuming. You take her and Jack to one New York New Years and they’re like addicts.

“They’re suspiciously quiet,” Aaron says as he shuts the door. He’s checked on your daughter more times than any sane parent would have, but you can’t blame him because you’ve been the same.

“Ellie’s showing them around time square,” you say like that explains everything.

“I thought Jack would kill both of us and make Saskia take him to New York when I said we weren’t going this year.”

You laugh softly and you’re both listening intently as Jack and Saskia start counting down a little too loud. Your daughter doesn’t wake. It’s fine. Aaron grabs your waist, pulling you into him.

“What?” you giggle as he cups your cheek.

“Thought we could get away with a New Years kiss this year,” he whispers.

And you do.

And you get away with so much more than a kiss this New Years.

Good way to start the year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AY AY AY AY Happy New Year folks!! (Love from Australia) I hope you all have a fantastic 2021, although in the light of 2020 I'm not entirely sure that's... well, lets just say the bar is low, so I hope 2021 brings you smiles for at least 6 months of the year haha <3 <3 (I kid, I kid, but hey ENJOY 2021 FOLKS.)


End file.
